


Lookout

by Uncultured_bovine



Category: Mamamoo
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Band Fic, F/F, Potential Hwasun, Student Council, lots of cameos
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-05-31 03:39:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19417723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Uncultured_bovine/pseuds/Uncultured_bovine
Summary: Jung Wheein is quiet, smart, beautiful and is now starting her life as a normal college freshman. That is if you consider running into the same stranger multiple times in one day as a normal occurrence. But her father, who happens to be one of the important officials in her university, seems to have other plans for her as usual.





	1. New Beginnings

For a private university that had just been established three years ago, the amount of students they have here is actually a lot. The infrastructure seems to be in top condition for now, I wonder how these buildings would look like in ten years.

The name of the school is pretty questionable though. WA University, WAU for short. Seriously, who thought of that name? I can’t find a single clue in the internet on what the first two letters stand for.

Enough about WAU. My partner in crime is late, yet again. Is she ever going to fix that habit of hers? I continue my way to this certain building we freshmen were supposed to be gathering in when a person runs into me from behind.

“Oops! Sorry! I’m gonna be late!” She spares me a side glance but I didn’t see her face clearly because her platinum blonde hair was distracting. A rare sight for me since the other art schools I’ve looked into didn’t allow the students’ hair colors to be “loud.” Her musky scent lingered for a few moments before I regain my composure.

Anyway, this girl didn’t even stop for a second to apologize properly! I thought movies were exaggerating and made these things cliché. But I guess a lot of college kids are really like this. Looks like Hyejin will fit in here perfectly.

I continued my short journey to this large hall which is already swarmed with students. My phone vibrates in my pocket. Assuming it was Hyejin’s apology for waking up late, I deftly read the message. To my slight surprise, it was actually my father, who I’ve been avoiding contact all week. Shit, he’ll know that I’ve _seen_ his message so reluctantly, I’ll have to reply.

 _‘Have you prepared your speech_?’ I search my bag for a certain piece of paper that I’ve been busy with last night. Annoyed, I type a short reply. ‘ _Yes, Father.’_

I walk up to the front row seats that a lot of people usually avoid. I don’t understand why people are hesitant to sit here. It has the best view and you can see the speaker or performers clearly, whatever event you are attending. I better ask someone first since there are times that the front rows seats are reserved for important people.

Before I get to act though, someone taps my shoulder. “I’m here!”

“Ugh, finally!” She pulls me into a tight hug, ignoring my protests. A familiar scent of vanilla invades my nose. “I slept through my alarm clock.” She says with a toothy grin.

“As usual. Do you think we can sit here?” I mused to the row of seats in front of the stage. Hyejin probably didn’t hear me as she drags me with her and proceeds to sit down on one of the chairs.

“Don’t worry. I already asked that old guy with the moustache.” She points to a stern-looking man wearing a suit. “We can sit anywhere, he said.” Several freshmen gave us weird looks as I sit down beside my best friend.

The ceremony started shortly after we made ourselves comfortable, owning the whole front row.

Surely nobody is paying attention to the speaker right now because I can literally sense their stares at the back of my head.

“Hyejin-ah, can you feel that?” Boredom hits my companion as she keeps fidgeting in her seat, observing and looking around. I nudged her elbow to get her attention.

“The what? Oh. Yeah yeah.” I scowl at her response.

“Did you even hear what I just said?”

“Yeah totally. They’re staring because you’re pretty, Wheein-ah.” She winks greasily.

I suppress the urge to cringe noisily. “They’re looking at you too.”

“That’s because a pretty girl like you is sitting beside someone who looks like an angry lion.” Hyejin looks at the back of her seat with an expressionless face. The other freshmen averted their gazes in an instant.

“Don’t scare them now.” I giggled quietly. “Oh yeah, there was this girl who ran into me earlier-”

Hyejin didn’t even let me finish “What?!” she said a tad bit louder than her usual whisper screaming, some faculty members glared at us as a result.

“Oh my god, you’re so embarrassing.” I uttered, burying my face in my hands. Hyejin bowed apologetically to the people around us.

Turning her attention back to me, she gave me a dead serious look. “Do I have to kill someone?” She whispered.

I smiled. “I can’t even remember her face so you can’t track her down.” Although her platinum blonde hair is really distinctive, I’d rather not get my best friend a record like what happened in high school. I was an easy target for bullying and she literally kicked those guys’ asses. After that, bullies ceased to exist in our class. I wouldn’t admit it out loud but my best friend is amazing and she knows it.

“At this juncture, we will now present the Top 10 entrance examinees. Please come up to the stage when your name is called.” My attention goes back to the emcee.

Hyejin pokes my side. “You ready?” I nod in response. The emcee starts calling a bunch of names and those students made their way to the stage.

“Top 4, Miss Ahn Hyejin.” I made a ‘hwaiting’ gesture at my best friend, which she mirrors then proceeds to power walk to the stage, her hips not lying. I still think she could’ve done better though if it wasn’t for her lazy ass not studying for this exam.

I smirk to myself upon hearing some _wows_ from the seats behind me. Who wouldn’t, though? The usual first impressions people made of Hyejin was that she exudes such a powerful aura that they wouldn’t know how to react. I ended up becoming immune to that since we knew each other since middle school, rather I feel proud of her. She loves doing things her way and she became more confident in herself over the years.

A couple more names were called until, “And for our top 1 entrance examinee, Miss Jung Wheein. A round of applause please.” The people behind me got noisier with their cheers and gasps. As I approach the stage, paper in hand, the emcee continues.

“Now, let’s hear a few words from our top scorer to commemorate this gathering. Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Jung Wheein.”

This is such a drag. I could just wing it and make a scene right here, right now, just to piss of my father. That would be entertaining, Hyejin would totally crack up. I inch closer to the microphone, adjusting it a bit to match my short stature. I drew a deep breath and wore my poker face. Nah, maybe next time.

“To the faculty and staff, fellow students and guests, a pleasant morning to you all…”

I carried out my piece without anomaly. The audience responded with an obligatory applause and the ceremony was wrapped up by the emcee.

* * *

Afterwards, Hyejin and I walked to the university cafeteria. One thing I learned in life is too never expect good food in these places. I mentally prepared myself to see the food overpriced, small in serving and rated 6/10 by my taste buds.

“Wheein-ah, did you notice that top 2 guy staring at you?” Hyejin wiggles her eyebrows.

“Everybody was and is still staring, Hyejinie.” I sighed, trying to ignore the stares coming from all directions.

Hyejin chuckled as she surveys the food displayed on the counter. “Some of these people aren’t even freshmen. They’re staring at you because you’re pretty. Or maybe they’re actually staring at my hot bod so don’t hog all the credit.” She winks and sticks her tongue out.

We payed for our meals and sat on a table nearest to the exit. Getting stared at all morning made me hungry. Hyejin was already scarfing down her food. I took a small bite first. And as predicted, it was edible but I’d give it 3 stars.

We still have afternoon classes for today so after that not-so-scrumptious lunch, I parted ways with my best friend. “See you later, kid!” She waved before taking off to her own building. “I’m older than you!” I yelled back.

Hyejin and I took different majors. Hers is Musical Theatre while mine is Studio Art. I always loved painting. It was something my mom and I had in common before she and my father got a divorce. Okay, I better stop myself there before bad thoughts come flooding in.

I was starting to space out while walking when I ran into somebody for the second time today. This time, I was knocked off me feet. “Seriously?!” I blurted out unconsciously.

“Oh my God! I’m so sorry- oh wait, it’s you! Shit. I’m really sorry about earlier too. Please, let me help you.” She bowed then held out her hand.

I looked up to her and my heart skipped a beat. She’s actually really pretty. And handsome at the same time. How is that possible? Her eyes were sparkling behind her glasses. Her hair which seemed unkempt earlier was now in a ponytail but it still looked perfect.

“Uh, miss?” She looked at me with worry. I noticed my mouth was agape. Fucking embarrassing. I probably looked like an idiot for a few seconds. I took her hand and she helped me up in an instant; she was surprisingly strong for someone as thin as her.

“I’m sorry too, miss. I was spacing out when I bumped into you.” I bowed too.

“It’s okay.” She smiled. And wow, look at that beautiful smile. Her nose wrinkles up in a really cute way. “Are you hurt somewhere?” She now donned a worried look.

“No, I don’t think so.” I replied flatly. I’m so awkward. This is my time to rise to the dating scene. I can’t fuck up now. And I just noticed that she’s tall too. I have to look up to her to see her face. She proceeds to rummage her bag for something. Then she takes out this small plastic with red stuff in it.

“Here.” She put the thing in my hand. “I was hoping to run into you again, not literally though like what just happened now.”

“What’s this?” I eyed the object quizzically. It looks like candied strawberries on a stick.

“An apology gift. Well, I’m kinda running late again so… bye!”

“Wait- and she ran off.” I didn’t even get to ask her name. Jung Wheein, you suck at this. I inspect the gift Han-pretty (handsome + pretty) Girl gave me and notice a post-it note stuck to the other side of the packaging.

_‘I’m Byul btw ;) enjoy the tanghulu!’_

Wow. Can’t say that I’m not feeling giddy about this but… either she really likes tanghulus or did she just buy me a tanghulu without even knowing if we’d run into each other again? And how does she even remember me when we only interacted for literally a second this morning? Or maybe she just flirts with everyone?

“Byul-ssi. You just made me late for my first class.” I whispered to no one in particular as I hurried to find my class.

* * *

So this is the famous _nothing-happens-in-the-first-day-of-class_ thing that I heard from Hyejin’s older sister when she talked about her university experience. The professor came in as soon as I arrived, briefly introduced himself, read the entire syllabus out loud and dismissed the class. That didn’t even take 15 minutes and the class was supposed to be for 2 hours. And that’s my only class this afternoon. I wonder what Hyejin is doing.

 _'Is your professor there?'_ I texted her. Hyejin always replies within 5 minutes but I didn’t receive anything. Looks like she pulled the short stick today. Now, I have lots of time to spare; maybe I’ll check out every nook and cranny in this campus.

After an hour of walking in the sun, it has come to my knowledge that WAU has three educational buildings; for arts, musical theatre and film studies, all of which have their own computer laboratories. This school is so rich. I don’t understand why the cafeteria food aren’t worth their prices.

A bit more exploring and I found something interesting somewhere behind the administration building. There was a stone pathway; it was easy to miss because the stepping stones were hidden under clusters of leaves. This path is way too mysterious to not trek so guess who’s going on a tiny adventure?

The hike was taking a bit long and a chilly breeze started enveloping my body. The air started smelling different too. The foliage was really thick but what looks like a clearing can be spotted as I approached the open space. I walked slowly onwards and the view, it was nothing I expected.

I didn’t notice that our campus was built at such high ground. I was now overlooking a lake or a bay of some sort. Is this even still part of the campus? I look around and spot a semi-mossy structure. Walking closer, it turned out to be bleachers with a roof and it was conveniently facing the open space. An also mossy sign board beside it read _‘Lookout’._

Not gonna lie, the view is breathtaking. Breathing in the fresh air is very healing; I might come here often. The vibrating in my bag breaks me from my reverie though. I fished for my phone but shoved it back I as soon as I saw the screen which read _‘Father’._ I hate it when he bothers me at relaxing times like this.

I take a seat on the bleachers. Maybe this is a good time as any to get some shut eye. I placed my bag behind my head and got comfortable. Before I knew it, I was fast asleep. It felt like only seconds had passed when my eyes snapped back open, sun still high up in the sky.

“You sure slept like a log.” Someone with a deep and familiar voice commented.

My whole body jumped involuntarily from the surprise. Startled, I whipped my head to the direction of the owner of this voice and what are the odds? It’s her again. This is getting ridiculous.

“Are you actually stalking me?” I exclaimed in annoyance.

“Hey now, calm down. The first two times were an accident but now is just pure coincidence.” She raised her hands in surrender. “And actually, you’re in my spot.”

This Byul person smiled innocently like what’s happening is a normal thing. “Byul-ssi.” Her eyes lit up as I mentioned her name. “In case you didn’t notice, this place is quite large and deserted.” I looked at her, sitting firmly. “Besides, I got here first.”

“Actually, you’re two years late.” She walked up to me. I sat up, paying attention to her movements. “Look here.” She proceeds to sits closely beside me. Strangers don’t tend to sit this close beside each other. Has she ever heard of personal space? I shift uncomfortably in my seat.

This girl folds her leg and lifts the bottom of her pants, exposing a drawing, no, actually that’s a tattoo. A tattoo of something I don’t quite understand; something squiggly on the top of her ankle. “Come closer, look at it from my perspective.”

What is up with this girl? I can feel the heat rise to my ears. I looked at her with my _what-the-fuck_ face and she just raises her eyebrows. Ugh, fine. Never in my life have I thought that I’d be existing at this proximity with a random stranger.

My nose gets a whiff of her musky scent unintentionally. I can’t believe I’m saying this but she smells so good. I can feel her stare piercing through me as I inspect her tattoo. She’s starting to get on my nerves but I focus my mind back on the task at hand. It didn’t look like anything from where I was before but now, I think I understand what’s going on here. From this angle, I can see the face of a woman. This tattoo is actually kinda cool.

“Okay, I see the girl. So what does that prove?” I turn my head to her and suddenly notice her proximity again. She smirks at my now flustered face.

“It means...” She looks at my eyes with a blank expression for a few seconds then smiles, “absolutely nothing.” Is she seriously fucking with me now?

Backing away, I exhaled as loudly as I can. “You know what? Enjoy your spot. I’m gonna leave now. Nice to meet you, Byul-ssi.”

As soon as I stood up, this person grabs my arm immediately. “Wait wait, I’m kidding.” She stands up too. “I’m sorry. Please, I can really prove it.” I look up and her expression is now like a puppy you scolded after she chewed your laptop charger. We don’t even know each other and she already annoys me so much. But how can I resist that face? Ugh, the things I do for beautiful strangers.

“Speak.”

“You’ve seen my tattoo. It looks like nonsense but it actually means something. Now look at this.” She points at the spot I was laying on earlier.

“I swear, if this is another-”

“No, no! I promise.” She flashes that million-dollar smile again. Defeated, I looked at the thing her finger is pointing at and I see the same drawing on the top of her ankle. It seems that she had vandalized the bleachers using permanent marker to recreate the drawing. I made an _‘O’_ with my mouth.

“See?” She smiles triumphantly. I raised my hands in surrender. “Okay, I won’t sit in your spot anymore.”

“Feel free to take the spot beside me if you want to. I’m taking a nap.” Byul occupies her spot and covers her face with her cap. I eventually obliged but unlike her, who ignored the concept of personal space earlier, I put enough distance in between us and started fiddling with my phone.

Ignoring my father’s usual texts about something I don’t care about, Hyejin had actually spammed me with texts of her own and missed calls while I was asleep. I wonder how I was able to sleep through these. Better not worry her further.

 _‘Sorry, I fell asleep. I’m coming home now.’_ I texted back. My eyes flicked from my phone to the girl near me. Is she already asleep? It’s best not to disturb a sleeping person but I dared to touch her knee a few times to check. There was no response, only the normal rise and fall of her chest… not that I was intentionally looking at her chest.

Before proceeding to leave the place, I just realized that I still haven’t told her my name. Taking out a pen and the post-it note from Byul’s gift, I wrote this down on the back and doodled a strawberry below it:

_‘Thanks for the tanghulu. -Wheein’_

I slipped the note in her hand and fixed my stuff. I feel like I’ll be seeing more of this Han-pretty Girl in the future. The thought of that alone made lots butterflies swirl in my tummy. Hope I won’t forget to tell Hyejin about this. Smiling to myself, I start my journey back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first time writing a multi-chapter story. Creative criticism is greatly appreciated!  
> Thank you @worthlessgays for the idea. Go check out her twitter :) Let me know what you think! Things may have moved slow for this first chapter but I swear, bomb's gonna drop on the next one. I hope you stick around :D also I'm sorry for the grammatical errors. My first language isn't English :(


	2. Deals

One of the things I am scared about when entering university is that I don’t know how to make friends. I mean, throughout my high school life I do talk to other people but I’m not comfortable with them as I am with Hyejin. College is definitely going to be tougher, especially since Hyejin and I aren’t classmates anymore. She has always been someone who can carry herself well. I, on the other hand, am just realizing now that I have always been dependent on her. It’s time to step up my socializing game.

In almost all of our classes, the first thing we did was introductions. When my turn came, everyone literally lost their shit. The whole class erupted in applause and I was left there standing in front looking like a lost puppy. I hate being the center of attention but I somehow got used to it. My father always pushed me to be a good student. The perfect trophy daughter. I know he only does that so he’d be praised by his colleagues. I didn’t mind it though. I just didn’t like the attention that came with it. Studying hard meant having more opportunities for me in the future and I didn’t want to cause my parents any more trouble than they already have.

I’m glad that the people here are very friendly. I met the person Hyejin was talking about yesterday. Taehyung was the top 2 entrance examinee and I happen to sit beside him in one of our classes. He’s actually really nice. I thought he would be one of the snobbish rich kids who would pick on people for fun. He probably noticed that I didn’t have anyone to spend lunch with. Hyejin already made friends with her classmates when she told me how her first day went and I don’t want to impose on them so I agreed to come with him.

After buying our own meals, Taehyung and I approached a table occupied by two people who were already eating.

“Hey! I thought I told you to wait for us!” He whined, flopping down on a seat next to the guy. Taehyung motioned for me to sit across him.

“Wheein, right?” The girl asked while chewing. “I’m Suzy. Sorry, we went on ahead. Jungkook said he didn’t have breakfast so he started scarfing down his food as soon as we sat. Then he felt bad that he was the only one eating so I joined him.”

Jungkook switched his attention from his food to me. “Yeah, I kinda woke up late so I skipped breakfast. Sorry, Wheein-noona.”

“It’s okay. I don’t mind, Suzy-unnie.” I replied awkwardly.

“I’m still amazed that I’m now friends with the highest scorers of the entrance exam.” Jungkook says proudly.

Taehyung turns to me, ignoring Jungkook completely. “Ignore him, Wheein-noona. He’s just trying to butter us up so he could copy our answers in exams.”

I giggled at the thought. Jungkook protests and the guys start their endless bantering. I may have found some really nice people to spend lunch with. Hyejin’s going to be so proud when I tell her about this. Come to think about it, I haven’t told her about Byul yet. Hope I won’t forget about that later.

* * *

Weeks have passed by uneventfully and I’m enjoying my college life so far. Taehyung and Jungkook would always be arguing about something small and they never fail to entertain me and Suzy-unnie. I have also adjusted to my living situation with Hyejinie. We have just moved in together in a condominium that was luckily near WAU. Oddly enough, our parents had no problem with us living together. My father even offered to pay for our rent. He’s only this kind when he’s in front of other people so his actions don’t surprise me anymore. Hyejin’s parents were shocked at the offer though so eventually they came to an agreement that they would pay half and half.

Hyejin and I were living the dream. We would sometimes order take out and have a movie marathon in our pajamas. Other times, Hyejin would cook us dinner then we’d spend hours playing with Ggomo and just talking. And since Mom gave me an electronic drum set for my high school graduation, Hyejin and I can now jam whenever we want, although she can’t play any instruments. I did try to teach her how to play the piano before even if I hated that thing but she quickly gave up on that. Happy times like this just makes me think that nothing can go wrong now. Famous last words.

I was in the middle of painting class when my phone kept vibrating in my pocket. When I can’t return my concentration to the canvas, I gave up and excused myself.

“Wheein-ah. So glad that you finally picked up.” My father’s voice was cold.

“What do you want, Father? I thought I already sent you my schedule. You can’t just keep calling me in the middle of my classes.” I whispered a bit harshly but quietly.

“Why haven’t you been showing up in your piano lessons? Your teacher informed me of your absences and demanded that I pay him for the time he spends waiting for you.”

“Father, have I not been clear that I do not want to play that thing anymore?” Ever since I was a little kid, I was always drawn to anything that looks like a drum set and I would just hit it with my bare hands while creating a certain beat in my head. My father mistook this as me wanting to play the piano. But when I voiced out my opinions, he said to me: _‘Girls should not be playing those barbaric things. You must always be elegant. Prim and proper.’_

Those words stuck to my mind for years. He would always say the same thing whenever I tried to ditch the piano lessons he forced me to take. My mom was opposed to this though. She is my hero. She supported every decision I make for myself. One time when she was teaching me how to paint, she bought me two unusually large brushes. When I asked her why, she held the brushes like they were drumstick and started tapping them quietly. She then whispered to me. “This will be our little secret. I want you to do what makes you happy, Wheein-ah.” Upon hearing that, I bawled my eyes out as she soothed my hair.

“Wheein, are you listening?” My mind was brought back to the present with my father’s commanding voice through the phone.

I sighed while rubbing my temple. “Yes, Father.”

“I’m tired of you always trying to defy me. You know, you’re just like your mother. It would be a shame if something were to happen to the gift she gave you.” I can hear him smirking. I really have come to hate his guts after everything he did to our family.

“Out with it, Father. What do you want? I don’t think this is about the piano lessons anymore.” Him coming down to blackmailing me again like last time, he must want something big.

“Perceptive. Forget the piano lessons. Wheein, I want you to be WAU’s student council president.”

What the fuck now?

* * *

“Excuse me, what?” Hyejin asks, dropping her chopsticks which held some jjajjangmyeon. “Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with your father?” She stands up and grabs a wet cloth. “Great. The floor smells like truffle oil now. I’m blaming him.”

“Don’t worry, I blame him for a lot of things. Feel free to add to the list.” I got up too and helped her clean. “And I thought things can't get any worse than high school.”

Back then, Mom taught me a lot of painting techniques ever since I was a kid and because of that, I’ve come to love art. It was my only escape, our only escape rather, for everything happening at home. My parents’ arguments got worse and worse over the years. High school was the last straw.

**-3 years ago-**

One day, I was putting the final touches on my latest project when I heard shouting and glasses breaking. Due to the noise, I momentarily lost grip of the paintbrush and destroyed the project. I remember breaking down after that while trying to fix it. When their voices died down, Mom softly knocked on my door. Her eyes were puffy but she still had the energy to smile.

“What’s this, Wheein-ah?” She runs her hand over the edges of the canvas then envelopes me in a warm hug. “It’s a very pretty painting.”

I dry my eyes on her sleeve and manage to reply. “I’m gonna call it Teardrops.”

The next day, Mom was saying goodbye to me. I begged her to take me with her, she started crying and apologized repeatedly. After that, my father made me a stupid deal. Either I would live with him for the rest of my high school life then he’ll pay for my college tuition or he throw me out of the house and make sure I wouldn’t see my mom again. Not seeing my mom again sounded ominous so I chose to endure years of living with that pig.

**-Present day-**

It’s a wild guess but I think my father plotted something against my mom too; maybe he also blackmailed her about something so she’s forced to leave me with him. I don’t blame her though. She’s a far better parent than my father could be even if he tried. We sometimes met secretly throughout high school and she gave me an electronic drum set for my graduation gift. My father went batshit crazy when he found out and even threatened to trash the gift but thankfully he didn’t.

“Hey. You in there? You really like spacing out, Wheeinie.” Hyejin pokes my dimple repeatedly with her truffle-smelling finger.

“Still here, Hyegi.” I stuck my tongue out at her and munched down the rest of my dinner.

I’m relieved that she isn’t wearing her fake nails now. Those things are dangerous. I remember something that happened just last week; she came running to the bathroom with a bloody nose. Turns out, she went too far in while picking her nose.

“I’m just glad you got to keep your drum set. I literally would’ve stormed his office if he tried something.” I chuckle at the thought of Hyejin doing that because the possibility was really high. “Anyways, what do we do now?”

“I don’t know, Hyejinie. I don’t think he would take no for an answer. My drum set is at stake yet again.” I release an exasperated sigh. “I guess I’m doing this.” I’m not sacrificing what little connection my mom and I have for this.

“Correction. We’re doing this.” Hyejin gives me wide smile.

“Hyejin-ah. I’m not dragging you into my mess.” Once Hyejin decides on something, it’s hard to change her mind but it’s worth a shot.

“Too late. I suddenly got interested in this student council thing. Unless you want someone else as your right hand? Do you not want me anymore?” She pouts. Why do people keep giving me puppy eyes to get the things they want? A certain platinum blonde haired person popped in my mind. I can’t believe I still haven’t told Hyejinie about her. Now’s a good time as any.

“Okay, you dork. We’re sorting this student council shit out tomorrow okay? Anyway, I keep forgetting to tell you about something.” I casually said as I clean up our plates.

Hyejin perks up at this subject. “Has someone finally asked you out?” She smirks while wiggling her eyebrows.

“Nothing like that.” I said, facing the sink. “Remember when I mentioned that someone ran into me on the first day of school?”

“Ohhh~ bitch. Spill.” My back is faced towards her but I can tell that she’s smiling like an idiot. Seriously, I should be the one doing that. My mouth slowly curved upwards too.

“She actually ran into me again on that same day. And…” Why am I hesitating about this now? “She… uh, gave me a tanghulu then left.” I spoke quietly.

Suddenly, Hyejin starts cracking up. “What the heck is that, Wheein-ah?” She slaps my shoulder, causing me to almost drop a glass. “Hey! Careful!”

“Sorry~ Well? Please tell me you at least got her name.” Hyejin is now poking my dimple again.

“I guess I kinda did?” I was about to walk to my bag but stop myself immediately when I remembered that I gave back her post-it note. “A sticky note came with the tanghulu. Said her name was Byul.”

“Byul, huh? You do know that I’m great at internet stalking right? Right, Lion?” Hyejin looks expectantly at her pet but as always, Lion is unresponsive. She then picks up Ggomo and walks to her laptop to start her detective work. “Looks like Ggomo-yah will be my sidekick for this case.” I shook my head at her antics and continue washing the dishes.

I contemplated on telling my best friend about our third encounter. But then again, it won’t be a secret place anymore if more people find out about it. Maybe I’ll keep it a secret after all. I started smiling like an idiot myself and I felt myself blushing when I realized that the Lookout was known to Byul and me only. I actually haven’t been back to that place since the first day since Taehyung and the others, as well as schoolwork, kept me occupied. I hope Byul doesn’t think that I forgot about her.

* * *

The next day, Hyejin and I start filling up some papers needed to start this student council shit. It’s kind of unusual that in the three years WAU existed, a student council is just starting to be organized now. Father seems to have everything planned out though since he told me to find a woman named Esna in the administration building and she’ll help us with everything.

“Is it just me or nobody in this college would care if a student council existed or not?” Hyejin speaks my thoughts out loud. In certain situations, we somehow think alike. I guess it’s the perks of knowing someone for a long time.

“Looks we’ll end up in those positions easily.” She laughs triumphantly.

I was spacing out again when Hyejin karate chops the top of my head lightly. “Wheenie, you okay?”

My eyes were starting to get prickly due to tears that dared to fall. I look at my feet to hide this from Hyejin but knowing her, she already saw through me. “You know, I don’t really want this.”

A few moments of silence went by and it made me wonder if my best friend heard me. Then I feel her arms pulling me into a warm hug. “I know, baby. Come here.” She says in a quiet voice. I bury my face on her shoulder as she rubs my back. Hyejin was always the one protecting me. I hate that I’m always like this when it comes to my father. I know that he’s manipulating me like he always does but I just can’t find the courage to stand up for myself. I’m glad Mom did it and is finally free of that pig. I wish I could leave just like that too.

When I finally calmed down, Hyejin squishes my cheeks. “Hey, what the heck are you doing?” I spoke with fishy lips.

“You’re a big girl, Wheein-ah. Let me be sappy for once. You always tend to bottle things up without telling people, sometimes even me. So it made me really glad that you decided to say what you truly feel about this. And like I said last night, I’m with you in this and whatever other things we’re gonna be doing in the future, okay?”

My eyes start watering again at my best friend’s tiny speech. “Oh no, this is your fault.” I hide again and wipe my tears on her clothes.

“What do I do with you? There are tissues for a purpose, Wheeinie. I don’t want snot in my top so early in the morning please.” The damage was already done but Hyejin still digs for tissues in my bag and hands them to me.

I finally crack a smile and fix myself up. “Sorry Jiinie, and thank you. I know you already know this but you’re the best!” I plant a tiny kiss on her check as she recoils from the contact.

“Of course I am. And normally, I’d love to get kisses from you because they are rare as fuck but now it’s a bit too cringey for me. How about we go and find this Esna person already?”

Miss Esna turned out to be another important person in this university, just like my father but she’s way nicer than he is. A few hours later with her help, Hyejin and I finished up filing our certificates of candidacy. Voting will be held a week later since the university also allowed other students to file their COCs. Although I highly doubt that anybody will do that.

* * *

And as I predicted, a week later after voting was finished, Hyejin and I were now seated in the positions vice-president and president, respectively. For a student council, we are terribly in need of other members. The university gave us at most two weeks to gather at least five more members for the student council to be fully functional. The reason they were pressuring us to do this was that the university actually planned to host a music festival in 2 months. In truth, they have already invited the band JANNABI.

“They’re basically forcing us to do this so they wouldn’t have to do it themselves.” I complain to Hyejin while we were on our way to the assigned student council office, which would be found in the art building as per Miss Esna.

“As much as I agree with you, look on the bright side though. We’ll get to see JANNABI, Wheein-ah. JANNABI.” Hyejin squeals excitedly. “And since we’re handling this music festival, we can, like, actually talk to them! I already feel like an accomplished fan.” As this girl happily rambles on about the band we look up to, something appears in the corner of my eye. Something platinum blonde, to be precise.

I didn’t notice that my walking speed got faster. I started getting nervous all of a sudden. We haven’t seen each other for weeks. I wonder if she still remembers me. I mean, she probably does since I found her hiding place but…

“Wheein-ah!”

“Wheein-ssi!”

My forehead is throbbing. And it looks like I blacked out for a second too. The next thing I knew was that my butt was on the floor. Hyejin is also on the floor beside me but she’s clutching her stomach and laughing uncontrollably. Ahhh~ seriously, this bitch. A familiar hand then extends itself into my line of vision.

“So aside from people, you like to walk into walls too?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I kinda got excited so I worked on this as soon as I posted the first chapter XD  
> Please tell me what you think about this so far~


	3. Stares

Her deep voice would catch anyone’s attention. I look up to her and she was smirking at me in a way that irritated me but made my heart flutter at the same time.

I took her hand and like last time, she pulls me up with such ease. Seriously, why does she show up in the most unexpected places? Her thumb rubs against my fingers and I realize that I was staring and my hand still lingered in hers. I quickly pull back and she snickers quietly, probably amused from my reactions.

“Did you miss me?” She winks at me and I instinctively scoffed; she is somehow capable of being so smooth in everything she says and does.

“Or have you perhaps forgotten about me already? I haven’t seen you in weeks.” The nerve of this girl. I’m trying to play hard to get here but she is making this very hard and the blood rushing to my face is betraying my already failing façade.

“Oh? It looks to me like you’re the one who misses me.” I try to compose myself and display a confident front. “I’ve been busy with a lot of things, unlike you who seem to have a lot of free time.”

“Hey now. I’m busy with my own stuff too, Miss President. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a somewhere else to be.” She turns to leave. “Oh and you ain’t banned from that place, you know? Visit me anytime!” She then offers her hand to my wide-eyed best friend.

“I’m Byul. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Vice-President.” Hyejin, still comprehending the turn of events, gapes at Byul before finally snapping out of her trance and taking her hand.

“Pleasure’s mine. I’m Hyejin.” She transforms back to her usual confident self. Hyejin’s duality still surprises me sometimes.

“Well, I’ll be taking my leave now.” Byul wink-salutes at us before finally walking away.

Hyejin and I were left standing in the hallway, silent and immobile. College life sure is so eventful, Of course we would need to take a few moments to process everything.

“Did you see the way she walks?” Hyejin was the first to break the silence. “She literally oozes confidence.”

“Hyejin-ah, you also ooze confidence.” I turn to her questioningly.

“I know. But it’s different. She’s so…”

“Irritating? Full of herself?” I suggested.

“Gay! From the way she walks and the way she talks and how she kept hitting on you. Don’t get me started on her smirking. Wheein-ah, she may look like a top but my gut is telling me she’s-”

“Okay! I’m gonna stop you right there. Can we please just go now, Hyejin-ah?” I begged her. We have attracted a lot of bystanders’ attention already that the stares are starting to bother me.

“This isn’t over, Wheein. You’re gonna drop every little detail of what you think of her because for sure, you left a lot out when you told me about Miss Pseudo-Top Energy the first time.” Hyejin lets herself get dragged by me to the student council office.

When we got there, we were faced with a very spacious stock room. Our supposed office does not, in any manner, look like an office. The contents of the room were a large bookshelf with nothing in it but cobwebs, a huge stack of monoblock chairs, a long table, a couple of easels and some blank canvases. Strangely enough, the room was air-conditioned even if nobody is allowed to hang out here since we had to get the key from Miss Esna. I don’t understand this university sometimes.

“Wheein-ah.” Hyejin slowly moves across the room, taking the surroundings in. “Do you understand the privileges of being in the student council?” She takes a chair and sits comfortably in front of the air conditioner with a satisfied smile on her face. “I’m definitely gonna start coming to your building a lot now.”

I chuckled at her antics. I guess this isn’t so bad. We have to spruce up this place though if we want to work efficiently. The university offers to buy the student council anything they need for this term as long as it’s reasonable. We just have to send a letter to Miss Esna with the specifics. When she informed us of this, Hyejin blatantly asked Miss Esna if we could get a refrigerator to which she responded by wiggling her eyebrows. Just how spoiled are we right now?

We spent the rest of the day rearranging the limited furniture in our would-be office and composing a letter requesting WAU to sponsor the student council some more furniture, a couple of potted plants, a computer and of course, a refrigerator. Although seemingly excessive and self-indulgent, I assured Hyejin that we could acquire these things provided that we could come up with justifiable reasons as to why we need those. Besides, people would think that the student council is some kind of sham if the office doesn’t look presentable.

* * *

The higher-ups suggested that we get a representative from each of the buildings in WAU, preferably from the freshmen since somehow they are also aware that the older students don’t care about these kinds of things. So after a week of discovering people and screening them of their worthiness as a representative, our roster increased from just me and Hyejin to three more recruits.

The first recruit is Taehyung, my building’s representative. That may seem a bit biased on my part but Taehyung is smart and responsible unlike Jungkook and the rest of our class. I did ask around but nobody, even Suzy-unnie, was as willing as he was. He even approached me first when the election results were announced, asking me if I needed help. Good thing that I didn’t turn down his offer. Hyejin teased me again when I told her about this. Even without her spelling it out, it is kind of obvious that the guy likes me. He isn’t very subtle and he’s even worse at hiding his blushes when our friends tease us. I do feel bad about it because I can’t bring myself to come out to them and break his innocent heart.

Hyejin recruited a sophomore for theatre’s representative since she apparently scared away most of the other freshmen. Seulgi-unnie thankfully wasn’t threatened by my lioness friend. From Hyejin’s stories, this woman is literally made of sunshine and rainbows and is somehow excellent in everything she does.

“I once got in an argument with some idiot sophomore for looking at me dirtily and just before I got to bash his face in, I felt someone tap my shoulder and there she was, asking us what was going on. Then the douchebag turned into a blushing mess and apologized to us before taking off.” Hyejin goes on about their first encounter.

It seems like this unnie is very dependable if she was able to diffuse a fight that Hyejin could have taken part in. We were on our way to the office for our first meeting with the recruits. When we got there, a tall girl with bangs was standing in front of the door and peering through the glass panel.

“Good afternoon! Pranpriya, right?” I greeted. I have to get used to being socially active if I am to be an efficient leader. The tall girl turned her head to us and bowed shyly.

“Yes. Good afternoon.” She greets back then looks at her feet, obviously nervous about the meeting.

“Well, don’t just stand there!” Hyejin claps her back, causing the girl to stand up straight. I swear, if Hyejin isn’t busy scaring kids away, she’s either busy flaunting her looks or being overly familiar and touchy with other people that it’s impossible to say no to her. “Let’s go inside.” She basically drags the poor girl in the office where Taehyung and Seulgi were already waiting.

The two perk up when we entered the room and greetings went around. I should break the ice first to get rid of the awkwardness. When everyone has settled down, I started.

“Thank you for coming-“

“Ladies, and gentleman! Let’s get the ball rolling, shall we?!” Hyejin sprang up from her chair. “Introductions! I’ll start. I’m Ahn Hyejin. Musical Theatre freshman. 19 years of age and best friends with this little cutie since middle school!” Taehyung snickers in his seat as Hyejin ruffles my hair. “Oh yeah, and I’m the vice-president. Your turn.”

“Ah, seriously. Please don’t mess with my hair, Hyejin-ssi.” I grunted and swatted her hand away. Didn’t expect Hyejin to read my mind and start with introductions but that definitely cleared the tension a bit. “Anyway, before this woman so rudely interrupted me, thank you for coming. I’m Jung Wheein. Studio Art freshman. 19 years old and student council president. It’s a pleasure to work with you all.” I smiled at the recruits and received a small applause in return. Taehyung stood up from his seat and took it upon himself to continue the streak.

“Ladies, good afternoon. My name is Kim Taehyung. Also a freshman from Studio Art. I’ll turn 19 on December so I guess all of you are my noonas. Nice to meet you all.” Taehyung goes around shaking everybody’s hands. He must be thrilled that he’s the only guy in this room but he still acts very gentlemanly. Props to his etiquette.

“Not exactly, Taehyung-oppa.” Pranpriya speaks and stands up next. All eyes were now on her. Even Hyejin who was literally jumping up and down in her seat throughout the first half of introductions has now behaved and payed full attention to the tall girl.

“Pranpriya Manoban. 17 years old. Freshman and Filmography representative. And as for the frequently-asked questions. First, I’m Thai. Second, I was advanced two years hence my young age. And lastly, no, I’m not a transgender.”

My jaw dropped at her last sentence. This kid probably had a tough time adjusting here. I shouldn’t pry about that for now. Still slightly shook from Pranpriya’s frequently-asked questions, I recomposed myself as to continue the introductions. Seulgi-unnie meets my eyes and nods knowingly.

“I guess I’m the oldest one here.” She thankfully breaks the silence. “Hello. I’m Kang Seulgi. I’m 20 years old and the Theatre representative. If you have questions about anything or if you need any kind of help, you can ask your unnie and I’ll do my best.” Seulgi-unnie smiles brightly towards every person in the room and for a millisecond, I swear I saw unicorns and sparkles in the background. Hyejin wasn’t kidding. This unnie is magical.

“So now that the pleasantries are out of the way, we can get down to business.” I filled the members in on what we were tasked to do and gave them their first assignments. Even if there were still two blank spaces in our roster, we should be able to do some kind of work. Surveying the other students shouldn’t be too hard. We need a theme for this music festival and hearing their suggestions would be a good way to start our planning. While the representatives get busy with that, Hyejin and I will find suitable people to complete our set of officers.

* * *

After exchanging cellphone numbers with everyone, we adjourned our first meeting, Hyejin dragged me to an on-campus café that I surprisingly missed when I toured the university by myself. There seems to be a lot of hidden trails in WAU that has yet to be discovered by my very own eyes.

“The barista says that they just opened when school started this year and wanted the students to find the place themselves so they skipped advertising. I don’t understand their logic but then again, this university is rich as fuck. I kind of want to work her part-time.” Hyejin says as she chews on her sandwich.

“The coffee is surprisingly good. What’s this place called again?” I kept looking around but the name of the café was nowhere to be found. There wasn’t even a signage outside.

“It’s called,” Hyejin leans closer so that nobody would hear even if the other sole customer in this café was tables away from us, “The Hideout.”

I looked at her with my _what-the-fuck_ face. “What kind of name is that?”

“Come on! It’s cool! Imagine if you wanted to go on a date with someone. You could say ‘meet me at the hideout’ while being mysterious and shit because nobody would know that it’s an actual place.” Her eyes sparkle in amusement.

“And I’m guessing that would explain why there’s no signage out front?”

“See? I knew you’d understand, Jung Wheein. So.” Hyejin puts on her serious face. “What do you think of our new recruits?”

I’ve known Taehyung for a while now so he’s as promising as he can get. Seulgi-unnie is as Hyejin mentioned. Sprinkle some fairy dust on her and she’s a magical and lowkey badass princess. I’m pretty sure she can handle herself well in any kind of situation. Pranpriya is an odd one. Her duality from the shy kid to an assertive one tells me that she has a lot of potential to be a leader.

“I think we picked really well, Hyejin-ah. It also just came to me that we’re the first people to do this in WAU so better do our best. This is history in the making.” I smiled at my coffee.

“Looks like you’re starting to enjoy this.” Hyejin takes my cup and sips from it, leaving me with just a small amount of the liquid. “Me too.”

“And you better buy me another cup.” I took her sandwich as revenge and started chomping on it.

“How dare you?” She gasped and feigned shock at my actions. I just shrug in response.

* * *

Hyejin’s free time came to an end due to an upcoming play which she said required a much-needed practice session, inevitably leaving me alone for the rest of the day. Although it has only been a week, recruiting is hard work. I was about to go home early when I passed by the administration building. Maybe I could go visit a certain person? It wouldn’t hurt to check; the view is quite healing too. Yes, I’m going there for the view.

If I think about, I don’t really know anything about Byul. Just that she’s annoyingly greasy and beautiful. Merely thinking about her is enough to make the blood rise to my face. My feet brought me back to the Lookout, slightly hoping that I’d see her again. And what are the odds? Han-pretty Girl, in all her glory, is on the bleachers. Trying to be stealthy as possible to avoid spooking her out, I crept closer. I occupied a space probably a foot and a half away from her and lied down. She seems to be sleeping.

I hope I don’t look like a creep right now. This is wrong in so many levels. Why can’t I stop staring at her face? Every feature is shaped perfectly. Combine that with her flirty nature and anyone would fall for her. Byul stirs in her sleep and I instinctively turn the other way. Please don’t wake up.

I stayed still for a whole minute but I was met with silence. I slowly turn to look at her again, hoping that she’s still asleep. Her body has now shifted to face mine. I can feel my face heat up again as I continue to admire her appearance. She was wearing a baseball shirt, boyfriend shorts and this weird-ass multicolored chucks. Her platinum blonde her completes her look perfectly. This girl knows how to dress to impress, even if it’s just a normal weekday.

“Hmm?”

My breath stops as my eyes shot back up to her face. Her eyes slowly cracked open. I was still holding my breath when she gazes at me with those sleepy eyes.

“Wheein-ah,” she utters softly with a deep, hoarse voice and smiles.

“I- uhhh…“ I intelligently managed to blurt out but Byul cuts me off.

“Shhhhh. Sleep with me.” She closes her eyes again like nothing happened and goes back to her slumber.

Eh? My heart starts thundering in my chest. What in bloody fuck just happened? Did she even realize what she just said? Well probably not because she’s asleep. While Byul is busy catching z’s, I bury my face in my hands, trying to process the situation. She was definitely half asleep when she said that. Yes. That is the only explanation. How dare she say that so casually? Is she aware of what implications that sentence has? If someone else has heard that… no, I can’t even imagine that. I guess it’s partly my fault for staring at her sleeping figure but how can someone be so greasy even when they’re half asleep? I peeked at her through my fingers and this woman appears to be sleeping peacefully.

I took several deep breaths to calm down my raging thoughts. Hopefully, I’ll feel better after I take a nap. Not that I’m indulging Byul’s suggestion. I just need some time to rest from everything that’s happening. Yes. That’s right. I turn my body away from her. I will not dare face her after what just happened. Stupid Byul. Stupid me.

The next thing I knew was that the wind was tickling my face. Rubbing my eyes with my hands, I slowly opened them to see an orange-colored sky. I wonder what time it is. Oh God, Byul. I peep behind me and to my surprise, nobody was there. Did she leave already? I sat up and looked around to no avail. Feeling relieved but slightly defeated, I dusted myself off and slung my bag over my shoulder but as I did, a post it fell from it. Excitement starts filling me when I noticed that the note was of the same shade as the one she gave with the tanghulu back then. My heartbeat raced slightly as I picked up the paper.

_‘Sorry love, I have a schedule so I went on ahead. I’ll try not to be sleepy next time coz I really want to get to know you more ;)’_

I repeatedly read the first words to make sure that my eyes weren’t fooling me. God fucking damn. Even in paper, she’s this successful in flustering me. This is too much. My ass is so whipped for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy reader! I'm back! How are you? Sorry that took a bit longer than expected. School hasn't even started yet but I'm already tired >.< Tell me what you think :D


	4. Foreign Feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Just so you moos know, I'm making up these student council positions as I go so they wouldn't be the same as the ones we're familiar with XD  
> Okay, go read now~

“Will you stop that?” I glared at my roommate who was busy tapping away with her brushes. Here I am trying hard to be a good student like she wants me to be but I can recognize what song she’s playing in her mind and now my focus is shifting to that song instead of my notes.

“It’s not my fault that I’m getting an artist block at the same time you’re studying, which by the way makes me so proud of you, Hyejinie.” She smiles innocently. “Why not study in your room then?”

“I can focus better with you in the background, as long as you aren’t a noisy puppy.”

Wheein glares at me and barks at my remark, causing Ggomo to jump from her lap like how cats react when they are spooked by a cucumber.

She breaks into a giggling fit and runs after her furry son. “Ggomo-yah~ I’m sorry. Come back please. Let’s go and play quietly with Lion okay?” She coos while trying to reach for the kitten who has hidden himself under the couch.

Even though we’ve gotten busy with a lot of things, Wheein ironically seems more relaxed nowadays. Her father threw a curve ball with the student council thing but as days went by, we grew into it. I hate to admit it but it probably might have been a good thing that we’re in this situation. Bit by bit, my best friend’s self-confidence is growing. This development makes me more invested in working harder myself. And I should support my best friend with everything I got.

To my surprise, she didn’t even need my help when we were finding ourselves a filmography representative. That was the first time I saw Wheein so aggressive when talking to strangers. She basically sales-talked her way to get the Thai girl to join us when she remembered that she was the top 3 entrance examinee, and she was the only person from filmography standing onstage on the day of the welcoming ceremony.

With the representative positions filled, the only spots left were the chancellor and the treasurer. In fact, I already have a prospect for chancellor so I told Wheein that I’d handle this one while she finds us a treasurer. It would just come down to this person’s decision if she would be willing to join us. There’s a miniscule chance that she’ll say no to me but when have my persuasion skills let me down?

“Hyejin-ah! I thought you said you focus better with me in the background. Why are you smiling alone like an idiot? Penny for your thoughts?” Somehow, Wheein teleported from the couch to behind my back. She planter her chin on my shoulder and squished her cheek against mine.

“Nothing~ You’re just so cute, Wheeinie.” I sneakily kissed her cheek, making her recoil.

“How many times do I have to tell you that I’m not cute?” She groans while walking back to our pets. What a cute baby she is. 

* * *

It’s 1:30 AM. The light that slipped through the bottom of my door went out a long time ago so I’m assuming that Wheein’s already asleep. Despite that, I keep tossing and turning in my bed and my mind keeps wandering around.

This prospect person that I find interesting pops in my mind. I just have one class with her. Since day 1, this woman caught my attention in a weird way. She has been stealing glances at me whenever she thinks I’m not looking. At first, I found it cute honestly. That was short-lived though. Days passed and she started getting competitive with me during class and performances. I’m just participating like what a good student should be doing but she keeps trying to one up me in every chance she gets.

I eventually gave up with her one-sided competition. One time, the lecture was so boring that I fell asleep. Then I woke up to a mountain of paper balls at my desk and another one hitting me square in the face. I turned to scowl at the direction from where it came from and she immediately turns away to try to look innocent but ultimately fails because in her hand was yet another paper ball. She just then realizes what she was still holding so there was no point in hiding it in her bag but she still did it hurriedly, probably thinking that I haven’t seen her. Weirdly enough, our professor didn’t scold either of us. I guess he doesn’t care if his students listen to him or not.

Come to think of it, Seulgi-unnie is friends with this girl since I’ve seen them together a couple of times in the cafeteria. So I decide to ask her about the weird girl. She did tell us to feel free to ask her anything on our first meeting in the student council. I texted Seulgi-unnie hoping that she’s still awake at this hour. Not a minute later, my phone chimes with a notification.

_1:47 AM_

_Seulgi-unnie?_

_‘Hello Hyejin-ah! It’s late. Are you okay?’_

_‘Oh, I’m sorry unnie. Did I wake you?’_

_‘Not at all. I was having a movie marathon with Irene but she fell asleep so I’m cleaning up now. What’s on your mind?’_

_‘That girl you hang out with, not Irene-unnie, the other one. What’s her name?’_

_‘The cheerful one? That’s Kim Yongsun. I thought you had a class together. Didn’t she introduce herself?’_

_‘Hehe I wasnt really paying attention to the introductions. Um can you tell me about her?’_

_‘Since you’re my adorable dongsaeng, okay. Yongsun-unnie is actually a senior but for some unknown reason, she didn’t take one prerequisite subject so now she’s paying the consequences. That’s why we call her Yeba-unnie (pretty fool unnie)’_

_‘Ohhh~ you guys must be close then.’_

_‘Yeah! She’s really nice. You should try talk to her. She can be weird but that’s her endearing quality lol’_

_‘Haha I guess I’ll do that. Thx unnie’_

_‘Haha ok good night kiddo, you should sleep now. Dont u have class tomorrow?’_

_‘Yea I do lol ok unnie good night!’_

**_Read_ ** _1:46AM_

* * *

I was too excited planning my Operation Turn That Weird Unnie into Chancellor that I didn’t get much sleep. I admit that I’m a bit interested in her but I also have some valid reasons to recruit her. If she’s a senior, that means she’s experienced on the ins and outs of WAU. Also judging from her actions in class, she’s smart and confident too.

The class I have with this unnie happens to be the first class in the morning. We’re waiting for that boring professor to arrive so I’m chilling at my seat with I Am The Best blasting on my headphones. Yongsun-unnie is already here, fooling around with some of our classmates. I discreetly follow her with my eyes. It looks like they were playing a game of some kind. When it was Yongsun-unnie’s turn, she weirdly crossed her arms and held her nose with one hand. She then creates a screeching sound that makes her audience cringe in secondary embarrassment.

“Sorry everyone, ignore this unnie.” One of them says out loud, earning a smack from the said unnie.

I cracked a smile at her antics and at that exact moment, Yongsun-unnie meets my gaze. She immediately breaks it off then proceeds to smack her friend some more. Now that I looked at her a bit clearly, she really is kind of cute. It makes me want to tease her.

“Something good about your morning, Hyejin-unnie?” Chungha appears at my side, settling her stuff down on the seat beside me.

“Maybe.” I vaguely replied. Chungha follows my line of sight and her lips knowingly curl upward.

“Hmm~ I thought you said you found that unnie annoying. What are you plotting?”

“Now, I think she’s annoying AND interesting. I want to play with this unnie.” A devilish grin forms on my face while I maniacally rub my hands together like an evil genius.

* * *

Call me a weirdo but I spent the entire class staring at my target, completely ignoring the lecture. Every time Yongsun-unnie tries to glance at me, I was already looking at her. Getting a reaction from her was amusingly gratifying. Whenever we make eye-contact, she quickly turns back around like a kid caught red-handed for stealing from the cookie jar. For all the times she kept competing with me, this is my revenge and it is fucking sweet.

After class, I begin Phase 2 of my ingenious plan, Operation Turn That Weird Unnie into Chancellor. Yongsun-unnie is now leaving the room. I summoned my inner ninja and stealthily followed my target while putting a safe distance in between us. She thankfully hasn’t noticed me tailing her thanks to the large amount of people busily walking along the hallway. My target makes a turn and enters the ladies’ room. Just when I was about to push the door handle, I start to hesitate and question my actions. The tiny voice of reason says that if Wheein sees me now, she’d definitely judge me on the spot saying I look like a stalker.

“This is for a good cause. Wheein will thank me later.” I steel myself before entering the comfort room. 

I try to keep myself from laughing because anyone with eyes would instantly tell me that I’m being a total creep. I started fixing my hair for no reason at all while waiting for the unnie to come out of a cubicle. A few moments later, a cubicle door opens and our eyes meet yet again, this time through the mirror. Yongsun-unnie’s shock immediately dissipates, replacing it with an expressionless face. I smile at her to clear the tension a bit.

“So, will you tell me why you’re always trying to get my attention?” I started, trying not to come off as intimidating.

“What if I said no?” She replies while raising her eyebrows. _‘No?’_ What does she mean _‘no’_? Other than Wheein, nobody has said that word to me. Oh, I’m feeling giddier about recruiting this woman. I love challenges.

“My hypothesis was right, though.” Yongsun-unnie says out of nowhere, completely throwing me off.

“Excuse me, what?” I turn to face her as she proceeds to wash her hands.

“You always looked so fierce so I wondered what your smile looked like.” She turns to smile at me, showing her tiny dimples. “You have a beautiful smile, Ahn Hyejin.”

Usually, I’m the one giving out compliments. Receiving them is unchartered territory for me. I am taken aback by this unnie’s sudden statement. My interest in her has now reached a new peak. If she wants to play like this, then no way in hell am I losing. I recovered quickly and donned my killer smirk. I start to inch closer to her. She notices the change in the atmosphere.

“Yongsun-unnie.” I uttered with a husky tone, never breaking eye contact. She takes a few steps backwards until her back hits the wall.

“What are you doing?” Seeing her nervous makes me see her in new light. She was always so confident. I’m going to enjoy teasing her. We were now standing face to face, just a few inches in between us.

I leaned closer to the side of her face. “If you wanted to be friends,” I said painfully slowly while placing my hands on the wall to completely pin her, “you could’ve just said so.” I whispered, intentionally brushing my lips on ear. I hear her gasp softly at the contact, heat starting to radiate from her body.

“Hyejin…” She manages to say as I pull back to see her face flushed, her eyes that were staring at mine with the same intensity trailed down to my lips. This unnie is so easy to read. My brain started flashing the emergency lights when she bites her lower lip. I’m already straying away from the plan but I couldn’t resist her. I muster every bit of rationality I have to hold back before something else happens.

Oh damn. It’s a fucking miracle that I managed to step back. I winked at her still-confused state and turn to leave. “See you around, unnie.” The second I exited the comfort room, I covered my mouth with my hands then made my way back to our room.

That was way too close. Things escalated too quickly, even for me. Phase 2 was supposed to go like this:

  1. Ask why she keeps glancing at me.
  2. Tease her a bit/ ask if she likes me.
  3. Whatever answers I get from the first two, I’ll convince her to join the student council.



But everything went downhill when she said _‘no.’_ I was absolutely not supposed to almost make out with her in the ladies’ room where anyone could have walked in on us. The sudden realization of the events that just happened is now taking effect as I bury my face in my hands. You are an idiot, Ahn Hyejin.

Okay I can fix this. I can just act like nothing happened. Like there were no butterflies, no sexual tension going on earlier…

Nope. No, I can’t. Oh my god, what did she do to me? I don’t normally just pin the people I like against walls. I only do that when I’m drunk, never have I done that sober, until just now. Wait, what? I like her?

… Shit. Operation Turn That Weird Unnie into Chancellor has officially become a disaster.

“So? How did it go?” I raise my head from my desk to face a smirking Chungha.

“I may have fucked-“ Chungha gasps.

“You had a quickie?!” She exclaimed, not caring if someone hears her.

“’Fucked up!’ I was gonna say ‘fucked up’! Not ‘fucked her’! What is wrong with you?!” I started shaking her while she cackles, earning stares from our classmates. Clearly, she’s enjoying the rare moments that she gets to embarrass me like this. I smacked the back of her head.

“Don’t worry. I’m sure you did fine. Just be the usual you tomorrow.” Chungha says nonchalantly. I eyed her questioningly, silently urging her to elaborate.

“You know, like how you first started talking to me.”

“You mean drape my arm over her and drag her to eat lunch with me?” I guessed, replaying our first interaction in my mind.

“Maybe not as exact as that but whatever floats your boat, girl. Besides, what are you worried about?” She shoots me an all-knowing look.

Yeah, that’s right. What am I worried about? I guess I could do that. We could be friends. Everything will be fine. I’ll recruit her and she’ll be an asset to the student council. Then I’ll get to tease her beautiful face a whole lot more when I get her to join the student council. That’s a good plan. I’m just going to put the whole flirting thing with her on pause for a little bit. And by the time I recruited her, I’ll know if I really like this girl or if we were both just caught up in the moment earlier. That’s it! I’m a fucking genius.

* * *

“Tell me about your prospect?”

“She’s told me I have a beautiful smile.” I mindlessly answered. Water shot out from Wheein’s nose. The spray of the very wet mist to my face made me aware of what I just said. I still have to work on the _‘try not to fall for the pretty unnie’_ challenge.

“I mean, uh, she’s a senior who’s kind of an airhead but she’s actually really smart.” I tried to wiggle out of my previous answer but Wheein was snickering while wiping both of our faces.

“You like her, bitch. Don’t try to hide it.”

“You like Byul, bitch. Don’t try to hide it.” I shot back.

“Hey! I’m not hiding it. I’m just, uh.” She’s hiding it, no doubt.

“Just what?”

“Just, uh… Hiding it.” Called it. Wheein’s mood falls.

“Hyejin-ah, are we both hopeless?” She pokes at her fried chicken. Between the two of us, even if she’s shy as fuck, she’s the more experienced one when actually talking or negotiating with people. I would just look at someone and they’ll either bend to my will out of fear or infatuation without doing much talking. I guess that’s what happened with me and Yongsun-unnie earlier. I should probably try and have a real-ass conversation with the unnie tomorrow.

“I don’t think so, Wheein-ah. With practice, I think we’ll get better day by day.”

“Did you just quote Wind Flower?” She stares at me blankly.

“Oh, come on. It’s a great song.” I pouted. Wind Flower deserved better. It was overshadowed by a lot of other songs when it was released.

“Yeah, I know it is. She deserves better. Anyway, when do I get to see this prospect of yours? If she’s someone who can melt your heart, I’ve got to meet her, Hyejinie.” Wheein raises her eyebrows up and down. People enjoy it so much when they get to tease me, huh?

“Let’s go to the Hideout tomorrow. I’ll bring her with me then you can drill her with as many questions as you like.” For some reason, it feels like I’m gonna be bringing someone to meet the parents. Why am I suddenly so nervous?

* * *

“Good morning, unnie!” I drape an arm around her shoulder, surprising her from the sudden contact. She doesn’t pull back thankfully. I gathered a fuckton of courage to be shameless today. Don’t fail me now.

“Good morning, Ahn Hyejin.” She recomposes herself in a second and smiles warmly at me. It’s now or never.

“Unnie, what time do your classes end?” I tried to act cool and not excited but I find myself mirroring her happy aura.

She is surprised by my random inquiry. “Are you asking me out?” She smiles wider. “I get off at 4:00.”

“What? No, I-. Just meet me later at the Hideout.” I handed her a piece of paper before heading back to my desk. I stayed up late last night to make her an understandable map to the hidden café. I looked back at her and she is smiling at my make-shift map.

Hours later, I found myself waiting for Yongsun-unnie in the Hideout. She didn’t really confirm anything but my gut tells me that she’s coming. I texted Wheein to come at 5:00. I want to chat with the unnie for a while before getting down to business, not that I’d actually tell Wheein that part. Minutes later, bells jingle and Yongsun-unnie appears before me.

“Wow, you actually came.” Despite expecting her, I was still a bit surprised.

“How could I not when you drew me a map? Plus, I’m always up for an adventure.” She takes the seat in front of me.

Unnie leans against the table. I mimic her actions; I like playing with this unnie. “So… aren’t you gonna buy something?” She asks innocently.

“I’ll have what you’re having. My treat.” I smiled at her brightly. Unnie then goes through the menu and points a finger at the vanilla latte.

“Well then, I’ll have this with extra whipped cream, please?” She looks at me with earnest eyes.

“Coming right up, unnie.” I stood to go and place our orders. When I got back, she has brought out a small notebook and a pen.

“What are you doing over there?” I sat back down and leaned closer to see what’s written on the page. Yongsun-unnie quickly shields the words from my vision.

“Before you get to look at this, let me ask first. This isn’t a date, is it?” The side of my mouth twitched slightly but I hope she didn’t notice. Oh my god, what do I say? Wait. Why am I even internally panicking? I told myself to stop flirting until she joins the student council. I gotta pull myself together.

I take a deep breath. “No, unnie. This is not a date.” Yongsun-unnie visibly relaxes.

“Oh good. I had two guesses on why you’d ask me out here. You just crossed out the first possibility.”

“Really now? Can I know what your second guess is then?” Unnie uncovers her notebook and turns it around to clearly show me what was written. _‘Student Council.’_ Did she see through my plan? I look back up to her and she smiles expectantly.

“You got me, unnie.” I raise my hands in defeat. ”So yeah, I’m scouting for recruits and I-“

“Okay.”

“-thought that you’re… Wait what did you say?” I haven’t even said anything of value yet.

“Okay, I’ll join.” A waitress appears at our table and gives our drinks. Yongsun-unnie thanks her and sips her drink nonchalantly. I stare blankly at her. She raises her eyebrows at me. Seulgi-unnie is right. This is unnie is very weird.

“Well, that was easy.” I scoffed and downed my coffee.

“I’m also guessing that I’m meeting your president now too. When is she getting here?” This is unbelievable. Am I that predictable?

“You’re officially creeping me out now. Are you actually a psychic?”

“No. I just pay attention to a lot of things. I have my ways, Ahn Hyejin.” She smirks at me. Her words make me feel a lot of things. I’m this close to believing that this woman has psychic powers. Nobody else does this to me and it’s both scary and exciting.

“Oh and a fun fact: I know you were playing 007 yesterday. You weren’t very good at it though.” I start to feel the heat rise to my face. How much does this woman even know? I give her a glare but she starts giggling.

“Cute. Okay, to make you feel less uncomfortable, I’ll tell you stuff about myself too.” I drop my glare and feel myself relaxing as she starts.

I found myself enjoying and engaging in Unnie’s stories. Whenever I thought she couldn’t get any more interesting than this, she comes in and breaks that thinking as soon as possible. She has this vibe that makes it mysteriously easy to talk to her, like we’ve known each other for a long time, even if our encounter yesterday was completely different.

Our light-hearted chat comes to an end when someone taps my shoulder. “You seem to be enjoying yourselves.” I turn my head to see my best friend, looking at me funny. Even if it’s just her facial expression, I can tell that she’s subtly teasing me.

“Good afternoon. I’m Jung Wheein.” She smiles at my companion.

“Good afternoon. I’m Kim Yongsun. It’s nice to finally meet you.” Unnie offers her hand and Wheein takes it.

“Let me just buy a coffee then we’ll start.”

* * *

The interview went so smoothly that if I didn’t know better, I’d think that we were just three friends hanging out at a café. Yongsun-unnie did really well. It turns out that she does volunteer work in her spare time. Not only does she have a pleasing personality, but she is also freakishly observant and hyper aware of her surroundings, the people around her and their feelings, all the while keeping an objective outlook in everything. Jung Wheein’s questions brought us to this conclusion and I’m glad that I really picked well.

Yongsun-unnie bid us goodbye, saying that she has to do some errands so Wheein and I were left at the café.

“Hyejin-ah.” Wheein smiles ominuously while giving me a thumbs up.

“What?” I sip the last of my coffee, trying to look cool.

“I’m proud of you.” She squeezes my arm. “You have good taste. And she’s a genius. I like her and I give you my blessing to have little Yong-Hyegi babies.” I almost spit out my drink at the thought.

“Why do you have to think that far out already when I haven’t even thought of the perfect date yet?”

“So you are planning to ask her out. I’m so happy for you.” Wheein claps quietly. “I’m actually quite surprised that you got her to join.”

“Trade secret, Wheein-ah.” I flick her forehead. She groans, rubbing the affected spot. “How about you? When are you asking Byul?”

“Eh?” She gapes at me. “Ask her what?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise Hyejin POV! :D I wanted to show you guys how she's doing here. We'll go back to Whee for the next chapter. See you then~
> 
> Also belated happy birthday, our flower Hwasa! <3


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